Hey music fans,
I was privileged enough to go to the recent RnB Fridays Live concert in Melbourne, at Marvel Stadium. There were several acts on the bill, including Eve, Estelle, Ginuwine, Trey Songz and Salt N Pepa. The undoubted headliner, however, was R&B superstar Usher, and he did not disappoint.
Having been a fan of Usher for many years, I was really looking forward to seeing a spectacular show, and man did he bring it! Usher’s always been known as a performer whose dancing abilities were in the vein of Michael Jackson’s, but it is his vocals that have always set him apart. Both talents were on full display that night!
He ran through all of his hits seamlessly (“U Remind Me”, “Caught Up”, “Confessions Part 2”, “U Don’t Have To Call”) while showcasing his impressive dance moves. And there was no question of lip-syncing as his vocals were very much live and spot on. Max Martin produced “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” was mashed up effortlessly with MJ’s “Billie Jean” while Usher served some serious MJ moves. Early hits “You Make Me Wanna…” and “My Way” were also included, proving that while Usher has come a long way, he always had killer material.
Usher is, of course, known for catering to “the ladies” and he didn’t disappoint, performing slow burners “U Got It Bad”, “Burn” and “Nice & Slow”, in which he got seriously freaky with a microphone stand (cue ladies screams). The Diplo helmed “Climax” was extremely impressive, Usher flawlessly navigating the falsettos and booming verses with ease, while “OMG” was a crowd pleaser. Not as much as the absolute classic “Yeah”, with added Lil’ Jon (who also served as a support act), which went down an absolute treat and will be a floor filler for decades to come. He closed the set with a Lil’ Jon remix of David Guetta produced “Without You”, which showcased his amazing vocals over a moody backing before morphing into the club banger that it is.
Overall, Usher was extremely impressive both with his stage presence and vocals, and flawlessly showcased his sprawling array of hits.
Mark Rodil 